As the resident Knick fan at pretty much any social or family gathering, I often get asked about the prospect of LeBron joining the [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] in 2010. My response typically centers around the notion that getting under the cap is more important than any single free agent, and that I'm satisfied enough with the Knicks' young core to not sweat it too much. This usually raises eyebrows. At that point, I usually cite David Lee's reliability and [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]'s blossoming grasp of his physical gifts. That gets anything from an eye roll to a half-certain nod. Then I drop the bomb: I also think [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] is a future All-Star. The response goes one of two ways- either "What's a Danillagally?" or bemused snorting, often accompanied by a spit-out drink.
I thought it'd be interesting to bounce this off of the P&T community. I'll make my case and open discussion to determine whether I'm on to something or bat**** crazy. I'm already certain that it's a combination of both, but let's have a look at the evidence. I've sort of written this post before (as well as a [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]), but I'm digging deeper and looking for a greater response this time.

Danilo Gallinari Is The Best!!

by Seth Rosenthal

- Danilo Gallinari turns 21 in a little over a week. His NBA career to date amounts to 412 minutes over 28 games, 26 of which were played off the bench. Therefore, I'm extrapolating from a fairly small sample. I know this. Taken alone, each of these little bits of evidence wouldn't be enough. It's the constellation of qualities that has me all hot and bothered.

- I'm probably not intelligent enough to be messing with numbers like this, but consider the following: Danilo Gallinari's True Shooting Percentage (which includes and adjusts for twos, threes, and free throws) last season [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]. Gallo didn't play enough to qualify for the leader board, but with just 90 more minutes (about 6 more games) at that pace, he'd be [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]. Danilo Gallinari is good at shooting basketballs.

- Gallo [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] more threes (32-72) than twos (24-53), but also went 26-27 from the line.

- We have some reason to believe that Gallo is willing and able to be clutch as hell. (From about 2:20 forward [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]).

- Gallinari's got heaps of confidence and plenty of determination. The man [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] and [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...]. I know that everybody wants to be a champion, but Danilo really wants to be a champion.

- There's a distinct possibility that Gallinari's bad back forbids him from ever fulfilling his potential. But by the same token, everything we saw from Danilo last year was accomplished on a back so bad he sometimes couldn't [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] or [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] without pain. We've yet to see a fully healthy Gallinari. Skeptics say we probably never will. I say the best is yet to come.

- Gallinari is 6'11", but doesn't project to play a big man's role. His rebounding and shot-blocking [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] (again, as Mike notes, on a bad back) were rather stinky. That said, guys like [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...], [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...], and [Only registered and activated users can see images. Click Here To Register...] have been plenty successful as tall men with backcourt skillsets. I envision Gallo as one of these swing-forward types, and I'd even offer on observation alone that his defensive "motor" is already miles ahead of each of those three.

So, there's no doubting that I am certifiably insane to be basing my hopes on a youngster who played in just 28 injury-plauged games last year. At the same time, I saw some things in those 412 minutes of stiff but impressive basketball that lead me to believe that Danilo Gallinari has the makings of an NBA star. I'll add that, for one reason or another, I don't take Gallinari to be another fragile Euro who'll never play a full season. For the moment, I'm dismissing the back problem as a fluke, and believe that this post-surgery Gallo is the one we'll watch for years to come.

What do you think? Hit the polls and comment below. I want to know if I'm alone in my semi-psychotic optimism.

I think the "badass hand signal" reference proves that Seth did his research. I believe every word.:beer:

Jul 31, 2009, 17:44

Blumatic

I believe in GALLO. I was taking the New York Bar on Wednesday and I'm arguing with a friend of mine on how good Gallo could be. He wouldn't even listen. This guy swears by Jamal Crawford.

He kept throwing that Gallo isn't proven. I know that. But Gallo played a few games and I am impressed b/c we haven't seen anything yet. Hopefully that back of his wont be an issue. But Gallo got game.

Im not into Euro trash. I didnt think Gallo could be anything But I heard about his toughness (what the Knicks sorely lack) so I was like lets just pick him. But still skeptical. But Gallo has something I didnt see a Knick player have in years a winning mentality with a solid game to come with.

Gallo BABY!!!!!

Jul 31, 2009, 20:49

ANU

its amazing how many haters he has.the guy can be very special.he can be better than turk, and i think he'll be a much better rebounder than he showed last season.

Jul 31, 2009, 22:38

Crazy⑧s

Whew....

Drugs are goooood.

Loving the thumbs up outlook from this hippie, but I think he said it best himself

Quote:

I want to know if I'm alone in my semi-psychotic optimism.

So much is riding on this kids broken back. Personally, I'm not oozing with hope, just highly interested in what could be a very determining season for him.

I dunno, I don't think anything he said is that outrageous. I mean, it obviously all depends on his back. But he had successful surgery, and said he feels no pain. You could tell by looking at him that he got bigger and stronger from last season, so that should help his durability.

I think us Knick fans have had to deal with so much disappointment over the years that we're scared to be excited about anything. We're just paranoid that something will go wrong. But I truly believe that Gallo is the real deal, and that this is the last we'll hear of his back problem.

Aug 01, 2009, 01:06

Crazy⑧s

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayJ44

I dunno, I don't think anything he said is that outrageous. I mean, it obviously all depends on his back. But he had successful surgery, and said he feels no pain. You could tell by looking at him that he got bigger and stronger from last season, so that should help his durability.

I think us Knick fans have had to deal with so much disappointment over the years that we're scared to be excited about anything. We're just paranoid that something will go wrong. But I truly believe that Gallo is the real deal, and that this is the last we'll hear of his back problem.

I hope so JMan.

I thought he still felt pain but it was bearable? Regardless, he's got the tools to be another big, versatile SF/PF player. That back injury just gnaws at my optimism.

And you're right, paranoia kicked in long ago after previous let downs from players & the front office.

As far as versatile big men go, one thing worth noting about Gallo is:

Both Hedo & Nowitzki & even Rashard Lewis (all comparable players) came into the league as roll players with limited PT and were pretty one dimensional.

Gallo on the other hand is going to step in to either a 6th man or starting role as of next season. I think he has a more versatile game than any of those guys did when they were young as well. Out of the 3, Hedo is the most comparable IMO.

So that's an encouraging thought.

Hopefully there are no hinderances with his back and the extra PT will have him turning into a better version of 3 of the leagues best big men shooters.

That would not suck.

Aug 01, 2009, 07:33

Kiyaman

Quote:

Originally Posted by ANU

its amazing how many haters he has.the guy can be very special.he can be better than turk, and i think he'll be a much better rebounder than he showed last season.

There is no haters of GALLO.....there are plenty HATERS for all u guys that do nothing but hype-up Gallo without any facts.
Post like this should be on comedy central, it's no longer optimistic.
Be patient and wait untill u see Gallo play consistent NBA games before putting your foot in your mouth.
I too, would rather talk about bum-Crawful & Bum-Q.Rich on how their above 30 mpg performance gave their previous team 23 win seasons, than talk about a player (Gallo) that does not have enough playingtime in the NBA summer league games and regular season games to evaluate his NBA performance.

Right Now:
Gallo is a NBA star player just like Lebron James is coming to New York as a Knick. WTF....wake-up your alarm clock is broke!!!

Aug 01, 2009, 08:16

donchris

I hate when media and co hype up a player that hasn't done **** in the league. Reminds me of Greg Oden. Everyone though Oden would be the next Shaq. Instead hes the next Darko. Give it a rest. Maybe Gallo will shine, maybe he wont. None of us can or should say definitively until he has a couple of full seasons.

Aug 01, 2009, 08:55

ANU

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiyaman

There is no haters of GALLO.....there are plenty HATERS for all u guys that do nothing but hype-up Gallo without any facts.
Post like this should be on comedy central, it's no longer optimistic.
Be patient and wait untill u see Gallo play consistent NBA games before putting your foot in your mouth.
I too, would rather talk about bum-Crawful & Bum-Q.Rich on how their above 30 mpg performance gave their previous team 23 win seasons, than talk about a player (Gallo) that does not have enough playingtime in the NBA summer league games and regular season games to evaluate his NBA performance.

Right Now:
Gallo is a NBA star player just like Lebron James is coming to New York as a Knick. WTF....wake-up your alarm clock is broke!!!

first off, get off my dick.secondly, you need to stop sucking dick.that's all you do when somebody agrees with you.i got news for you, you don't know ****.your word means as much as everybody else's here.stop acting like you know it all.you don't know ****.i watch basketball.from the little i saw, what that guy said isn't farfetched."plenty of hater for guys like me".smh.****ing blow hard.

Aug 01, 2009, 09:07

paris401

Quote:

Originally Posted by donchris

I hate when media and co hype up a player that hasn't done **** in the league. Reminds me of Greg Oden. Everyone though Oden would be the next Shaq. Instead hes the next Darko. Give it a rest. Maybe Gallo will shine, maybe he wont. None of us can or should say definitively until he has a couple of full seasons.

i agree...at the mom he is still zepole canolli to me....

Aug 01, 2009, 12:54

Blumatic

I really don't go out on a limb with players. Especially when they come to the Knicks. But Gallo played in about 28 games. I saw a guy who is not scared to be the go-to guy we need. All i'm saying is that he was not scared to do it. When we needed a bucket down the strect last year everybody kept passing it up. When Gallo was playing, he would take the shot.

Gallo's journey with the skeptical fans will be the same as Eli Manning's (their still haters of Eli.) Everyone bashed Eli and said he was nothing like his brother, he sucked, blah blah blah. But some fans of Eli saw something in Eli. I saw it too. In all those year he was "terrible" and god knows he had some bad games, but in all those terrible years, he showed that he can be clucth and isn't afraid of throwing it to make something happen. Eli 2nd season showed how clutch he can be when the game is on the line. And just 2 seasons later he show one of the best clutch performances in Super Bowl History.

Now will Gallo be a Super-star, that is hard to gauge now. But he has a great game. He is a shooter, and he is fearless.

Just watch. My name is Blumatic. I'm putting it out there, ya'll gonna like Gallo, he's gonna be the man for us this year.

first off, get off my dick.secondly, you need to stop sucking dick.that's all you do when somebody agrees with you.i got news for you, you don't know ****.your word means as much as everybody else's here.stop acting like you know it all.you don't know ****.i watch basketball.from the little i saw, what that guy said isn't farfetched."plenty of hater for guys like me".smh.****ing blow hard.

Where I come from little-boy (ANU), your words would justify me whipping your punk-ash an unloading my 9 in u 4 your funeral in the park, this way no little kidd on the block have to shoot your closet-ash for inviting them to your private.
I do HATE stupid soft-boys who try to act like a Badboy, u sound like a man with a pocket full of candy for the little-boys (disgusting).
Punk Suckers like u wont last one week on Rikers Island
Dont worry the future always unlock the doors of all *****....AN-U will get your do